Temperatures are set to rise about freezing for the first time all week at some point today — and stay there, which is welcome news for New York City cyclists.
While the Transportation and Sanitation departments appear to have done a fine job of clearing their respective bicycle facilities of snow earlier this week — bridges for DOT and streets for DSNY — the daily cycle of thawing and refreezing has left some bike lanes perhaps not impassable, but far from ideal for city two-wheelers.
Riding around Lower Manhattan on Thursday, I saw other cyclists opting for the sidewalk next to bike lanes that looked like they may be frozen over. I saw snow pushed to the parking side of parking-protected bike lanes and melting into the path of cyclists, likely to turn into ice when the temperatures dropped again overnight. (That was the scene on Flatbush Avenue along Prospect Park, where one Redditor posted patches of ice in the strip's crucial two-way protected lane.)
Most importantly, I saw a lot of cyclists out in the cold — people on Citi Bikes, personal bikes and, crucially, work bikes. Cold weather means more people ordering delivery — and more danger spots for the workers getting it to them.
Simply put: While DSNY has made important strides towards clearing bike lanes of snow, below-freezing temperatures after a significant snowfall requires daily maintenance of those bike lanes. And don't get me started on the Parks Department, whose many miles of greenway paths were also in disarray this week.
Fortunately, we are set for a few days in the 30s and 40s. Hopefully the combination of warmer temps and sunlight clears things up a bit more.
In other news:
- A healthy Manhattan office rental market is good news for the MTA's operating budget. (The City)
- TWU Local 100's president, who just won re-election, "is on the way out," the Daily News reported on Thursday.
- Jose Martinez dug into the MTA's $100-million air pollution mitigation promise to the Bronx, a week after activists rallied to draw attention to the issue. (The City)
- Not to outdo himself, The City's transit gumshoe also dove into the subway's "rolling homeless shelters" amid the cold weather. One homeless rider told Martinez he feels "warmer and safer" on transit than in an actual shelter. (The City)
- Phil Murphy wants more gridlock to juice the Port Authority's already hefty coffers. (NY Post)
- Like Streetsblog, amNY covered the DOT's call for Albany to reauthorize the speed-camera program.
- A Long Island town went above and beyond to enforce school stop-sign laws — to the chagrin of people who like to ignore them. (NY Post)
- The City Council put new limits on ex-city officials lobbying city government. (NY Times)
- Five borough Republicans and their "Democrat" pals came together to beg Trump to cancel congestion pricing. (Nicole Malliotakis via X)
- Mass Transit mourns Larry Penner.
- And, finally, why doesn’t our governor get to work like this? (Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer via X)
